Dynasty Warriors 7: Xtreme Legends Review

Xtreme Legends isn't anything new to fans of the Dynasty Warriors franchise, we've been seeing them since Dynasty Warriors 3. However, this is the first one we've seen this console generation, with Tecmo Koei opting to skip Dynasty Warriors 6: Xtreme Legends. This expanded version of the game comes with plenty of new features, but questions will be asked about whether this type of release still holds a place in modern gaming, especially with how the legacy content is handled.

First things first, Dynasty Warriors 7: Xtreme Legends is a standalone affair. However, but if you do own a copy of Dynasty Warriors 7, the game will offer a lot more. One of the cool features is that you can import pretty much everything from Dynasty Warrriors 7 into Xtreme Legends and just continue as if the games have been merged into one. This is what poses the question though, could Xtreme Legends simply been a downloadable content pack for Dynasty Warriors 7?

There are two core elements that are added with Xtreme Legends: Legend Mode and Challenges. These will be available to anyone who purchases Xtreme Legends and doesn't have a copy of Dynasty Warriors 7 lying around. Legend Mode allows you to play through the Romance of the Three Kingdoms story, but the objective here is to build up a ruined castle "“ you're tasked with creating your own "Legend".

It's a decent mode, but it's not a patch on either of the modes that were featured in the original game. The positive is that there are some new stages for the new characters featured in Xtreme Legends and some of the older stages that didn't feature in Dynasty Warriors 7.

The three new characters in Dynasty Warriors 7: Xtreme Legends are all from the Wei faction, so if you aren't a fan of Wei and were expecting some new characters in either Shu or Wu, you're out of luck. Two of the new characters have never been playable before (Guo Jia and Wang Yi), while fan favourite Pang De is the third new character. It's a shame they couldn't have added more characters, but they are sure to add a few more in the next Dynasty Warriors game.

Much of the gameplay has remained the same, so if you weren't a fan of the original game, Xtreme Legends isn't going to change your mind here. You're able to perform basic attacks by pressing the Square button, while Charge attacks can be performed by pressing the Triangle button. It's possible to make combinations from these, but the true combinations don't become available unless you use skill points to unlock them.Due to the importing of Dynasty Warriors 7 data into Xtreme Legends, many of the combinations and base attacks have been retained, but there are two new weapons to mix things up a bit. One acts as a nice power-based weapon, while the other is for those who love the speed-based play.

While the core gameplay has remained the same, there are two new additions to the gameplay. You're now able to cancel charge attacks and turn the energy into a dash attack. This is rather useful if you're attacking the wrong way, or suddenly get surrounded by a group of troops. You're also now able to perform saves in the air. This could previously only be done when you landed on the ground and it does help you avoid follow-up damage.

When it comes to the presentation, Dynasty Warriors 7: Xtreme Legends is pretty much the same as the original title "“ almost nothing has changed. The graphics are all very familiar and the voice acting is just as you'll remember. It's a shame that things couldn't have been touched up a bit, as many believe that this is one of the areas that Dynasty Warriors as a franchise sometimes falls short.

Aside from Legend Mode, Challenge Mode does bring some replay value to the table, but not all of the modes are that good. You've got Bridge Melee, Arena, Speed Run and Rampage. Two of the modes essentially come down to one thing "“ beating as many people as possible. But all of the modes take away all of your stat boosts. Rampage and Speed Run are the best modes on offer and the online leaderboards will provide incentives to keep on trying to better your scores.

Nightmare difficulty was also added for those who want an extra challenge, although it doesn't really make the game any harder. It just means that officers will be given boosts sometimes and that health pots are now much stingier.

Final Thoughts

Overall, Dynasty Warriors 7: Xtreme Legends isn't a bad affair. It offers two new modes a few new gameplay tweaks and three new characters. The ability to hook up your Dynasty Warrior 7 game into it is a nice feature. However, for the price tag it does seem a little bare and it does beg the question "“ why couldn't Xtreme Legends have been downloadable content this time around? When the previous iterations came out, it wasn't feasible, but things have moved on a lot since then. Perhaps this is something for Tecmo Koei to consider next time around.